This is the second time in a month that I’ve been completely bowled over by an indie project that I’d never even heard of, created by people whose games I’ve never played. I can think of no better indicators that no matter how bad SimCity turned out, no matter how disappointing the gameplay in Bioshock Infinite, no matter how familiar any Call of Duty, no matter whether the next Xbox is always online, it’s a perfect time to be into videogames.

To date, there aren’t a whole lot of games like Monaco. There’s action oriented isometrics like Trap Gunner and strategy heavy games like Frozen Synapse, but Monaco succeeds in blending the two playstyles together effortlessly. Even if you aren’t the type who plays nice with others, Monaco offers more than enough content to help you channel your inner thief.

To read my full review in a nicer format with images, please visit my blog: http://newgameplus.co/pc/monaco-review/

Just out of prison,To read my full review in a nicer format with images, please visit my blog: http://newgameplus.co/pc/monaco-review/

Just out of prison, check. Crew consisting of surveillance, tech, muscle, a fast-talker and femme fatale, check. Insurmountable odds, check. What happens when you couple a formula for the perfect heist thriller with gameplay found in staple arcade games? You get Monaco: What's Your Is Mine, by games.

The game plays out as a group of stereotypical criminals commit a series of heists across the city of Monaco. It's narrative is comparable to classic films such as Ocean's Eleven and The Usual Suspects. First events will transpire from the Locksmith's point of view, eventually an alternate path is revealed which tells the story from another criminal's perspective. Without spoiling anything, there is a nice payoff for those that stick around to see the conclusion.

As mentioned before, all of the key players are here. Monaco can be played as one of eight character classes. The Locksmith is a master of, well… unlocking things. The Lookout can see enemies that are outside of her field-of-view, The Pickpocket has a monkey companion (named Hector) that will help collect loot, The Cleaner can take out guards from behind, The Mole can plow through certain obstacles, The Gentleman is a master of disguise, The Hacker can disrupt electronics from anywhere there is a socket and The Redhead is a charmer, able to coerce anyone that is on to her.

Controlling your plunderer of choice is simple. You can move, and moving against certain things will allow you to interact with them, such as picking a lock or slinking through a window. There is a sneak button and a button that will use whatever gear you are carrying. There are 8 types of gear in Monaco and each is fairly different from the others. These controls appear to be fairly simple, but the variety of ways you can interact with objects in the environment is anything but.

The multiple stages in Monaco, which cover everything from caverns to casinos, are riddled with security features and guards looking to keep you from reaching your goal. Fortunately for the player, there are several methodologies that can be applied to reaching the objective. Stealth is clearly important, but would the best method be to move through the shadows and never be seen? Maybe distracting the guards and using a smoke bomb here and there to bait-and-switch is the best course of action. Wearing a disguise and walking around incognito could be fun. Between character specialties, gear and the task at hand, there is a lot of variety.

Monaco's presentation is another shining aspect. The aforementioned heist story is part of that, as well as the game's excellent visual and audio design, which I'll go into further soon, but the star of the show is the line-of-sight, "fog of war" mechanic. Players are only able to see what their character sees, and only parts of the map that have been explored are revealed. Think StarCraft and Mark of the Ninja. Also, If something is moving off screen, and it's close enough to hear, there will be a graphic representation of that sound, i.e. footprints for someone walking. This visual design works really well and sets the stage for the game's stealthy moments. Austin Wintory's soundtrack also deserves a mention as it adds another layer to Monaco's charm.

The visuals in Monaco are pleasing. Bright colors fill in detailed reproductions of landmarks across the city in the French Riviera. The contrast between the luminous environment and the greyed out unseen areas of the map create a stunning effect. There are also a lot of nice graphical cues. Players can hack computer terminals to disrupt security. This disturbance is represented by a green square that bounces around the screen taking control of cameras, disabling tripwires and allowing access to doors normally requiring security clearance.

Players will get a lot of mileage out of Monaco. The game can be played alone, which provides a more strategic playground. It can also be played with up to three other people. This is couch co-op at its best (though it can also be played online). The multiplayer in Monaco is part co-operative strategy, part chaotic competition. At the end of each stage a top player is crowned for things like collecting the most loot. Then there are optional objectives, such as playing through a level without losing a single character, collecting every bit of loot (a requirement to unlock the entire story), and finishing a level as quickly as possible. Fans of speed runs will be left grinning ear-to-ear. There is a daily leader board as well as a board that displays all-time best scores.

Monaco pulls off a wonderful feat. It provides a mixed bag of approaches to the game's puzzles, while at the same time making it all easily accessible to players of any experience level. The controls are simple, the presentation is beautiful and the mechanics are easy to learn while...…Expand

The co-op on this game was like sucking 5 willys at once. The spank the monkey flash game had better graphics than this piece of bird poop.The co-op on this game was like sucking 5 willys at once. The spank the monkey flash game had better graphics than this piece of bird poop. Before I play this game I am going to chop off my feet with a DJ deck. This game should be called "Ride the rhino whilst sucking its toe nails".…Expand

For an old school gamer like me, this game is an amazing reminder of what game's were like at the dawn of video games, and how far they haveFor an old school gamer like me, this game is an amazing reminder of what game's were like at the dawn of video games, and how far they have come as well. The single-player game is good, but the game truly shines in coop play.

Up to 4 friends running around laughing and shouting in vent (I'd love to play this like we used to play Goldeneye on the SNES, but alas, employment options have us all over now), running around in panic from a missed alarm or some angry guards while trying to grab all the cash you can is amazingly fun.

I haven't gotten far in the campaign or tried all the classes yet, but even the early missions are hilarious and chaotic with friends, and buying it via Steam was a snap. The game screams for custom levels in the future, giving it even more appeal and longevity.

First, the negatives. Setting up a friends-only game on Steam is a little harder than it needs to be, but once you're in, it's golden. AndFirst, the negatives. Setting up a friends-only game on Steam is a little harder than it needs to be, but once you're in, it's golden. And when running in windowed mode at work, it's slightly difficult to shift mouse focus outside of the game to hide it from your boss. Other than that, the game is awesome. It's both complex and simple at the same time. You only need to complete the base objectives, and you can do that pretty easily. But to clean out a level? That takes a lot more skill and craziness. And to do both in a speed run requires mastery. The aesthetic design is excellent, and the gameplay is sublime. I highly recommend it.…Expand

Monaco is an odd little gem of a game. Essentially, is a multiplayer, top down, class-based stealth game, in which you play as a group ofMonaco is an odd little gem of a game. Essentially, is a multiplayer, top down, class-based stealth game, in which you play as a group of ragtag thieves trying to hightail it out of Monaco while the gettings good.

The part about Monaco that just gets me is the fact that the game seems designed around the fact that you're going to be seen. If a guard catches you, ragtime music plays as you are chased around the level Benny Hill style, which puts a smile on my face even a year after the game has been released.

The unfortunate thing though, is that the game is nigh unplayable without friends. You CAN play the entire game single player, but the odds on you succeeding past the first act are slim to none. If you want a tough game that will challenge friendships, but always leave someone laughing, get some buddies together and pick this guy up off of Steam. If you like your games brown, serious, and fast paced, you might want to look somewhere else.…Expand

I notices this game really long time ago, but i don't liked the graphics and the movement looks terrible...
Then there was a free-weekend andI notices this game really long time ago, but i don't liked the graphics and the movement looks terrible...
Then there was a free-weekend and i gave it a try, i will not regret!
This game is a really nice indie game, i had many hours of fun on public.
You have diffrent classes, with diffrent skills, like the mole, who can dig into the most walls, or the other classes who can disgus as an enemy, the guy who can knock enemys down from behind and many other classes.
Later you unlock more classes, there tons of missions and there not so easy.
You get very fast used to the controls and the graphics, you can only see what your character see (except the one class, who can see enemys through wall), you also can pick up items during a mission, revive dead teammates (also the enemys can revive their teammates).
I had a lot of fun i can totaly recommend this game!…Expand

I normally enjoy Indie games, I like stealth games and I like puzzle games. I even like heist games! So it's rather depressing that I don'tI normally enjoy Indie games, I like stealth games and I like puzzle games. I even like heist games! So it's rather depressing that I don't enjoy Monaco. It's not a terrible game, but I just don't find it fun.

It's far too easy for someone you're playing with to blunder into a trap and ruin the stealth you're going for, and once you trip an alarm the game devolves into a stupid farce of running around like idiots trying to hide from guards so that they conveniently reset and let you walk around again.

The graphics are stylistic but also not particularly charming IMO. I'd say graphics like FTL give a good example of memorable Indie graphics. In Monaco everything is basically either neon or pixelated and blocky. The characters are just poorly textured blocky lumps, ugly more than anything.

While I quite liked the little bits of story exposition between missions (which can be quite amusing), I'd say the game is highly overrated in general and really doesn't do the stealth or action sides of things particularly well.…Expand